4.4.2 Reactions of acids

Describe oxidation and reduction in terms of loss and gain of electrons

Write ionic equations for displacement reactions, and identify which species are oxidised and reduced from a symbol or half equation

Explain in terms of gain or loss of electrons that the reactions between acids and some metals are redox reactions, and identify which species are oxidised and which are reduced (Mg, Zn, Fe + HCl & H2SO4)

Explain that acids can be neutralised by alkalis, bases and metal carbonates and list the products of each of these reactions

Predict the salt produced in a neutralisation reaction based on the acid used and the positive ions in the base, alkali or carbonate and use the formulae of common ions to deduce the formulae of the salt

Describe how soluble salts can be made from acids and how pure, dry samples of salts can be obtained

Required practical 1: preparation of a pure, dry sample of a soluble salt from an insoluble oxide or carbonate using a Bunsen burner to heat dilute acid and a water bath or electric heater to evaporate the solution

Recall what the pH scale measures and describe the scale used to identify acidic, neutral or alkaline solutions

Define the terms acid and alkali in terms of production of hydrogen ions or hydroxide ions (in solution), define the term base

Describe the use of universal indicator to measure the approximate pH of a solution and use the pH scale to identify acidic or alkaline solutions

Describe how to carry out titrations using strong acids and strong alkalis only (sulfuric, hydrochloric and nitric acids to find the reacting volumes accurately

Calculate the chemical quantities in titrations involving concentrations in mol/dm3 and in g/dm3

Required practical 2: determination of the reacting volumes of solutions of a strong acid and a strong alkali by titration

Use and explain the terms dilute and concentrated (in terms of amount of substance) and weak and strong (in terms of the degree of ionisation) in relation to acids

Explain how the concentration of an aqueous solution and the strength of an acid affects the pH of the solution and how pH is related to the hydrogen ion concentration of a solution